Teens lured victims - one of whom was pregnant - with Facebook Marketplace iPhone ads before unleashing brutal knife attacks

19.02.2022 - 01:29 / manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Teen robbers lured unsuspecting victims into terrifying knifepoint attacks after they'd agreed to buy or sell iPhones on Facebook Marketplace.

One victim feared he was going to be killed after he had a knife held to his throat, while a pregnant woman was caught up in one horror attack.

Ringleader Nana Vandevelde, 19, who said he plotted the robberies to pay off a drugs debt, has been jailed for five-and-a-half years.

Another robber, Zane Arshad, was locked up for four years and six months.

READ MORE : Murder investigation launched after woman, 26, found dead

Facebook profiles were set up under fake names to entice people.

Victims were attacked and threatened with knives, and a man and his pregnant wife were chased down the street by a machete wielding robber.

The robbery spree occurred in September and October 2020, with Vandevelde being involved in another similar attack the following year.

The first victim had found a profile on Facebook which claimed to be selling an iPhone 11, prosecutor Geoff Whelan told Manchester Crown Court.

The victim agreed to swap his phone for the iPhone 11 and £100 in cash, with the meeting being held in Gorton.

After they met, Vandevelde took a knife from his pocket and ordered him to 'give me the money, give me the money'.

He put it to the man's neck and warned him: "If you don't give me the phone I will cut your neck."

Vandevelde and another man left with the cash and phone. The victim later said he feared he was going to 'lose his life over his phone and a bit of money'.

About two weeks later, Vandevelde struck again.

The next victim had posted an advert for an iPhone 11 for sale on Facebook Marketplace, and agreed to meet in Gorton.

But when he arrived, he got the impression that